1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to swimming pools.
More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus useful in keeping a swimming pool clean.
In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention concerns a dedicated pool vacuum system.
2. Prior Art
A conventional swimming pool installation usually incorporates a recirculating system having a pump and a filter assembly located adjacent the pool for circulating and filtering the pool water. Typically included in this recirculating system is a skimming device adjacent the sidewall of the pool and a main drain located on the floor of the pool. Water from the pool is drawn through the skimming device and the main drain by the pump, and forced through the filter assembly before being returning to the pool through a discharge outlet. The skimmer device removes the film of material and floating objects from the surface of the water while the main drain is adapted to collect sediment which sinks to the bottom of the pool. A small filter basket is usually provided in the system before the pump to intercept large debris picked up by the main drain or which has passed through the skimmer device.
Often, before the skimming device can remove all of the dirt and debris from the surface of the pool, the material will sink. The dirt and debris which sinks to the bottom of the pool collects on the floor and may not be pulled through the main drain. To remove this material, it must be swept toward the main drain, or vacuumed up as is commonly done. A vacuum generally consists of a hose having a first end coupled to a vacuum head and a second end coupled to the pump to provide suction. The second end is generally coupled to the pump via the skimmer device. Many skimmer devices are adapted to receive the second end of the hose directly, or by using an adapter. The material is sucked through the hose with the pool water, and forced through the filter assembly which removes the material.
Many pool owners find the necessity of vacuuming the pool a tedious task, best avoided at all costs. To this end, they hire services which maintain the pool, or have installed special devices which will automatically clean the pool. These devices include special jets which form water currents pushing dirt and debris toward the main drain, and automatic vacuum devices. The automatic vacuum devices are similar to conventional vacuums, in that they include a vacuum head and a hose. The difference is that they continuously move about the pool floor by themselves, continually picking up dirt and debris. This greatly reduces the labor involved in keeping a pool clean. Automatic vacuums, however, present new problems.
In a properly maintained pool, the skimmer device will keep the surface of the pool clean, and remove large debris before it sinks. The skimmer devices generally include a strainer basket which collects the larger debris and prevents it from passing on to the filter assembly. The strainer basket can be easily emptied of the collected debris. In this manner, very little debris will pass through the system to the small strainer basket. This is desirable because as debris collects in the basket, the performance of the recirculating system is reduced. In a properly maintained system, the smaller basket needs to be cleaned infrequently. This is accomplished by turning the pump off, opening a sealed lid and removing the basket. The basket must then be replaced and the system resealed and started. During vacuuming, the strainer basket is removed from the skimmer device, and the second end of the hose is inserted into the skimmer device. The collected material goes directly to the filter assembly, with the small strainer basket in the line to remove any large debris. While this system works sufficiently well for its intended conventional use, problems occur when a continuous and automatic vacuum is employed.
An automatic vacuum is generally coupled to the pump through the skimmer device, rendering the skimmer inoperative. With an inoperative skimmer device, debris will not be removed from the surface of the pool and will eventually sink, to be removed by the main drain and the vacuum. This large debris will be collected in the smaller basket of the filter assembly, which will rapidly fill. A filled basket will greatly reduce the efficiency of a recirculating system, and thus must be cleaned frequently. This partially negates the purpose of the automatic system, which is to reduce the labor involved in cleaning a pool.
Trapping devices have been developed for trapping debris prior to entering the skimmer device to prevent clogging of the main filter assembly. These devices adequately accomplish their goal, however, since they are spliced into the vacuum hose, they are often difficult to reach, and difficult to clean. Furthermore, their movement with the hose as it moves about the pool may result in damage to the trapping device. Also, the skimmer is still rendered inoperable when the vacuum is being used.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in pool cleaning systems.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved vacuum system.
And another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum system which will not render a skimmer device inoperable.
Still another object of the immediate invention is to provide a vacuum system which can be operated contemporaneously with a skimmer device.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide improved means for removing large debris from a pool.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum system which collects debris and is easily cleaned and maintained.